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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - One month after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, basic questions about the government’s preparation and response to the blaze that destroyed Lahaina remain unanswered — as the painstaking task of identifying remains continues. No one will say who was calling the shots as the disaster unfolded or why the Bissen Administration waited until after the town had burned to ask the state for help. Between county officials dodging basic questions and state agencies playing word games, deciphering who knew what — and when — has been incredibly complicated. What is clear is that...

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson faced backlash on Tuesday after asking fans to donate money to help those affected by the Maui wildfires — despite having a combined net worth of more than $2.8 billion. The Hollywood duo collectively kicked in $10 million to kickstart the People’s Fund of Maui, but then jointly asked their fans on Instagram and TikTok to donate the rest. However, many fans complained they were already living “paycheck-to-paycheck,” and that the uber-rich celebrities should dole out more of their own money toward relief efforts. “I would but I’m broke…you two got this though!”...

MAUI COUNTY (KITV4) -- Maui Police is asking for those still searching for missing loved ones after the deadly August 8 wildfires to formally file a Missing Person Report. "In the ongoing efforts to identify, document, or locate individuals who are unaccounted for, the Maui Police Department urges those who have family members or loved ones who are still missing to file a missing person report," Maui County shared in a press release. MPD reports that as of September 4, 2023, 110 missing person reports have been filed relating to the Lahaina wildfire, 41 of which are actively being investigated...

'Literally being arrested for visiting their own homes' Nearly a month after catastrophic wildfires devastated the Hawaiian paradise of Maui, a disturbing mystery remains as hundreds of people, including an unknown number of children, are still missing, while a journalist on the island says local residents are being "royally screwed" by all governments, with some victims arrested for trying to visit their own homes. At least 115 people were killed in the Aug. 8 blaze that razed the tourist town of Lahaina, making it the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century. More than 3,000 individuals have...

During a portion of an interview with CBS News aired on Friday’s broadcast of “CBS Evening News,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) stated that the fires in Hawaii were “A tragic natural disaster,” and that “if other decisions were made, it is possible that we wouldn’t have had such loss.” But he doesn’t want to say officials were asleep at the wheel or if Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen should resign because “we should really get to all of the facts,” and deciding to resign “is a deeply personal discussion for any Mayor and his or her constituents to have.”...

More Than 2,000 Children From Lahaina Public Schools Still Missing After Maui Wildfires There are still 850 people missing from the Maui wildfires, but a new report from the Hawaii State Department of Education shows that there are more than 2,000 children who are unaccounted for in the public school system.

The state Department of Education estimates that out of the nearly 3,000 students who were enrolled at four Lahaina public schools prior to the Aug. 8 wildfire, 1,757 of them have not enrolled in another public school or opted for distance learning. Department officials tell Maui Now that of the more than 1,700 outstanding students, some may have moved out of state, enrolled in private schools, or have taken a pause while they await the reopening of their Lahaina campus. The number has shrunk from 2,000 last week, “and so it’s been shrinking because more kids keep enrolling in our...

As I was driving home tonight, I had the radio on listening to the Catholic station here in Phoenix (1310am). The news came on and they reported that there are at least 400 dead in Maui and more likely upwards of 800-900 and that 40% of the dead are children. The given reason for the news blackout is that they are still trying to ID the bodies.

The Maui fire’s human toll is already horrific: 115 people have been confirmed dead after a rapidly moving blaze swept across the west side of the Hawaiian island earlier this month, making it the deadliest wildfire in the United States in over a century. “No one has ever seen this that is alive today,” Maui police chief John Pelleiter said at a news conference Wednesday. “Not this size, not this number, not this volume — and we’re not done.” Officials expect that the number of dead will rise as rescue teams, including cadaver dogs, continue to search the destroyed town...

HONOLULU — The state is looking into the safe use of breakthrough therapies which include the use of psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms. The state has created the “breakthrough therapies task force” made of up mental health professionals, physicians, lawmakers, and government leaders. Their job is to help the state expand therapeutic access to two substances — psilocybin and MDMA. The state says research shows both have been effective in treating ptsd, addiction, and depression.

HONOLULU - Three weeks after a wall of fire claimed at least 115 lives and turned historic Lahaina to ash, Maui County’s highest-ranking official said he didn’t know who was calling the shots at the county’s Emergency Management Center the day the town burned. “I’m not sure who was in charge. (Former Maui Emergency Management Administrator) Herman Andaya was still in charge. He just wasn’t present. He was in contact with his team. I guess by phone. I don’t know exactly how,” Bissen said, during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. When questioned about his whereabouts that day, Bissen said he...

For weeks Hawaii News Now has been asking questions on who was in charge of Maui's Emergency Command Center the night of the deadly fire.

Amidst harsh criticism of the Biden administration and Hawaii government officials for their response to the devastating and deadly Maui fires, the Hungarian government has reportedly stepped up to provide shelter for 250 Maui families.There had been ample warning of the serious risk of wildfires and millions of dollars available to spend on preparing for them. Nonetheless, when fire raged through Lahaina this month, water was not initially released to fight it, government negligence had exacerbated the flammable nature of the area, people were blocked from escaping, and the exact death toll is unknown as hundreds of people are still...

Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. (“Hawaiian Electric”), a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., issued an update in response to the lawsuit filed by the County of Maui on Thursday. “Our hearts and hands are with the people of Lahaina and Maui,” said Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric. “Hawaiʻi has thrived on the collective strength and unity of our community, and we need to embrace that spirit now more than ever. There are important lessons to be learned from this tragedy by all of us collectively, and we are resolved to figure out what we need to do...

In the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows — those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact... those wires were among miles of line that Hawaiian Electric Co. left naked to the weather and often-thick foliage, despite a recent push by utilities in other wildfire- and hurricane-prone areas to cover up their lines or bury them. Compounding the problem is that many of the utility’s 60,000, mostly wooden...

As flames tore through a West Maui neighborhood, car after car of fleeing residents headed for the only paved road out of town in a desperate race for safety. And car after car was turned back toward the rapidly spreading wildfire by a barricade blocking access to Highway 30. One family swerved around the barricade and was safe in a nearby town 48 minutes later, another drove their four-wheel-drive car down a dirt road to escape. One man took a dirt road uphill, climbing above the fire and watching as Lahaina burned. He later picked his way through the flames,...

"I know at this point that the government has not been truthful about the death toll," he said during an interview. An independent journalist in Maui, Hawaii, who flew there to cover the devastating wildfires, claims that he was put in a "headlock" by Maui police for pressing the mayor on the unknown number of missing children and claims the government is hiding the severity of human loss. "I know at this point that the government has not been truthful about the death toll," Nick Sortor, who traveled to Maui last week, told BlazeTV host Sara Gonzalez. "They’re not talking...

Maui County filed suit Thursday against Hawaiian Electric, alleging the utility caused the Lahaina wildfire and failed to take appropriate actions to maintain the grid. It’s the latest suit against Hawaiian Electric connected to the blaze — now the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century — but a new wrinkle in the story given that previously the utility had only faced litigation from residents for its operations before, during and after the blaze. John Fiske, one of several attorneys representing the county in the civil suit, says investigators have already documented evidence that “the ultimate cause and origin...

If we had a functioning news media, there’s a video that would be leading every newscast right now. It has nothing to do with a plane crash in Russia, a GOP primary debate, or even the indictment of every lawyer who’s ever given Donald Trump legal advice, as important as all those topics may be. This video is about Americans — including children — who died horribly this month. It’s about how their deaths could have been prevented if their government was even remotely competent. The footage I’m talking about is an interview with a survivor of the fires in...

Maui County officials say they have validated 388 individuals who have been reported missing from the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire disaster. The Federal Bureau of Investigation validated the names by assessing the first and last name of the person who is unaccounted for, and by a verified contact number for the person who reported the missing person. “We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” said Police Chief John Pelletier. “We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are...